“Parizaad” is a story that has been unfolding on our television screens over the past 4 months. While most shows of this length would be losing steam at this point, “Parizaad” has continued to enthrall audiences with the story of a young, dejected man working his way to success. Starring Ahmed Ali Akbar, Nauman Ejaz, Ushna Shah, Urwa Hocane, Yumna Zaidi, Mashal Khan, Saboor Aly and others, the story has been written by Hashim Nadeem Khan and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri. At present, Parizaad’s heart has now settled on Annie – but will she return his feelings?
What Parizaad truly drives home in this episode is how human beings can evolve from their own personal and life experiences. Parizaad (Ahmed Ali Akbar) has always been this genuine, kind, down-to-earth, humble man who would be willing to give others the shirt off his back if it would help them. This is a man who had nothing, but now has the wealth to improve the lives of so many around him – not only family members, but also friends. We’ve seen this with Jaanu (Hassan Shah), along with Naheed (Ushna Shah) and Majid (Ahmad Taha Ghani). In today’s episode, we see how he has supported Na Saaz (Adeel Afzal) and prodded him not only towards his career, but marrying his soulmate. Parizaad is the kind of man who everyone would want in his life. And yet…….he has one fatal flaw.
Parizaad’s insecurity continues to haunt him. The taunts he heard as a young child all the way through adulthood have remained with him, constantly reminding him that he’s “less than,” too unattractive, too dark to be loved. These are harmful societal beauty standards that many in South Asian society have been held to and it is hurtful – and can leave long-lasting scars. While Annie’s (Yumna Zaidi) operation is upcoming, thanks once again to Parizaad, he begins to grow restless, feeling as though Annie will reject him once she sees his face. Adding oil to the fire is Sharjeel’s (Fahad Mirza) presence. While Parizaad and Sharjeel get along famously and Sharjeel has utmost respect for Parizaad, Sharjeel confesses that he plans on proposing to Annie after her operation. This is painful for Parizaad to hear, as he has already lost his love so many times – Naheed, Bubbly, Lubna and now Annie? Out of all these women, it’s Annie who has truly brought Parizaad happiness and he doesn’t have it in him to lose her. Na Saaz encourages Parizaad to fight, to do everything in his power to avoid losing his love this time around. And Parizaad, heartbroken and crushed after observing Sharjeel and Annie together, gives the command to Akbar – kill Sharjeel.
This moment is a shock for the audience, but while it’s surprising, it’s not unexpected. Parizaad has gradually been falling into a comfort zone with his present life. He has been using the power given to him, accepting it and coming to terms with it – and even enjoying it. We saw, last week, how he kidnapped Sunny and left Shehbaz terrified just to teach him a lesson. And while it was a relief to see Sunny alive, Parizaad cleverly instilled fear in Shehbaz and left the audience feeling oddly uncomfortable with his methods. And now, we can see that Parizaad is willing to utilize his power to get a man out of his way to get the woman he wants – or punish her? Who does this remind us of? That’s right, Behroze (Nauman Ejaz). When we were introduced to Behroze, it appeared as though he must’ve always been a heartless man, but looking at Parizaad, Behroze also must have had a kind heart…..he was certainly kind to those who worked for him.
Ahmed Ali Akbar is just brilliant in this episode, as he is each week. But watching Parizaad’s transformation from meek young man to a murderous “Don” is chilling and Ahmed Ali Akbar has made that transition gradual and subtle, which is why it comes as such a shock It would be interesting if Annie did, in fact, love Parizaad and not Sharjeel – but also a tragedy, as Parizaad would never have to take such a step. Will he go through with it or will he revert back to the Parizaad we all love and know before it’s too late? That’s what we will have to wait and see, but with only two episodes left, “Parizaad” is coming to a close…..something which audiences are not ready for.